TKO, a 12-year-old thoroughbred, is led to a stall and greeted by Brian Colquhoun, a Morris County veterinarian.

Colquhoun inquires about TKO’s health. The horse has been favoring his right side, Colquhoun is told, and his neck feels tight.

Colquhoun sticks his hand in the horse’s mouth and examines his tongue. The 21-year veterinarian takes a walnut-tipped pointer — a tool of his own invention —– and brushes it along the horse’s side. TKO flinches as the brush hits certain points — sometimes its a slight tremor, other times his whole body shakes.

Colquhoun then inserts about a dozen 2-inch, stainless steel needles into TKO’s legs and torso. One even goes into his face. The needles remain for about 15 minutes.

This is veterinary acupuncture — a niche field fighting for mainstream acceptance.

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society has certified 37 veterinarians in New Jersey. The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture has certified 29 more — only a fraction of the vets in the state. Many, said Karin Derfuss, a Branchburg veterinarian and acupuncturist, still consider this "some kind of voodoo."

The American Veterinary Medical Association does not recognize acupuncture as a specialty, but does give leeway to individual vets to practice.

"We don’t say it shouldn’t be used and we don’t promote it." said Michael San Filippo, a spokesman for the association.

Acupuncture is one of the most common alternative treatments, and hundreds swear it has worked when all else has failed.

BALANCING ACT

Animal acupuncture functions along the same principles as human acupuncture. The aim is to correct any imbalances in chi, or energy, by stimulating points connected through meridians. Acupuncture has been used on animals in China for thousands of years, according to the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society’s website, both to alleviate symptoms and as a preventive measure against such ailments as founder and colic in horses.
"This is really a nice addition to the things we can do to keep a horse healthy," Colquhoun said.

Acupuncture is used to alleviate everything from joint pain to digestive ailments. Because it increases blood flow, it has even been used to stimulate virility — perfect for the farmer with an aging bull whose only purpose is to make more cows.

To an outsider, this can seem a bit odd. After all, pets do not complain of stiffness or joint pain, and can’t communicate if treatment works. But changes in behavior are easy to spot. The spunk that made your Dachshund such a lovable companion is no longer apparent, or the spring in his step is missing. Fetch becomes a chore instead of a game. Morning walks turn tortuous.

"You’ll know if your bird isn’t the same," said K. JaJa Tsai, a veterinarian and acupuncturist who practices on dogs and cats, birds and rabbits.

Liz Waitze knew her mixed-breed, Bauer, was in pain. Back issues were leaving her depressed, lethargic. Waitze drives more than an hour from her home in Hewitt in Passaic County to Tsai’s Parsippany office for treatment. The results, she says, have been easy to spot.

"She’s a completely different dog," Waitze said, noting Bauer returned to her old self — jumping up for food and playing with her toys.

When Tsai’s father’s German shepherd became paralyzed in 1995, she took him to several specialists, but nothing helped. She tried an acupuncturist and soon her father’s dog was up and about.

"It worked well enough for me to say I need to learn this," she said.

But learning the art — and acupuncturists say it is as much art as science — is no easy task. Certification with the IVAS requires hours of coursework, written and practical examinations, a 40-hour internship and a peer-reviewed written case report.

THE RIGHT RESPONSE

Treatmants cost around $70 per session depending on the vet and the animal. The needles, according to those who practice, help stimulate normal body functions and activate the body’s homeostatic responses.

Jerry McCrea/The Star-LedgerBrian Colquhoun, a veterinarian at the Garrett Mountain Equestrian Center, uses a diagnostic probe he made by hand while performing equine acupuncture at the Garrett Mountain Equestrian Center.

Nero is a 140-pound, 6-year-old Doberman with wobbler’s disease— a cervical vertebrae ailment that causes an unsteady, or wobbly, gait and weakness in dogs and horses. Elaine Decanio of Pittstown had two other Dobermans put down when they had the disease. This time, she determined, would be different.

"I am not going home with this dog in a box," she said. "I am going to give this one a chance."

She researched treatments and found Derfuss, the Branchburg veterinarian. The therapy worked quickly and Decanio saw steady progress.

"Acupuncture is often seen as a last-ditch effort," Derfuss said. "That is how most of my referrals come in."

That’s what brought in Mayhem, a 15-year-old pit bull who could barely move after tearing his ACL.

"He would moan a lot," said his owner, James Madison of Bridgewater. "He was just depressed."

But Madison was willing to try anything.

Mayhem receives aquapuncture, which is a similar concept but instead of needles being left in his body, he receives an injection of B12 at various pressure points. The fluid, acting on the point, has a similar effect as the needles, Derfuss said.

In only a few sessions, and with the help of a brace and pain pills, Mayhem was walking again.

"He has more movement, he is walking around," Madison said. "We are very, very pleased."